In elementary school, water fountains were a big deal. There was one in almost every hallway, and "needing a drink" was always a good excuse to escape from class. In junior high and high school, water fountains just weren't cool anymore, but they were still around to use when no one was looking. By the time college rolled around, though, water fountains almost disappeared from the scene.

As the water fountain faded from our lives, the water bottle took its place. Poland Spring, Evian, Nalgene bottles, Store 24 water, Crystal Geyser--these bottles and their contents have been spotted in lecture halls and classrooms all over campus. Students carefully choose their source of hydration and carry it around like a status symbol. Valerie-Amanda D. Jackson '01 comments, "I can tell you so many things my water bottle says about my life."

The rugged individualist who loves nature and enjoys long, solitary hikes (or any student who has been on FOP) can attest to the power and strength of the Nalgene bottle. This indestructible bottle is "supposedly made of the same material as the wind-shields of airplanes," explains FOP leader Becky Berman '99, "and you could drop them from the top floor of Leverett towers and they wouldn't break." So in addition to carrying their Nalgene bottles around for five days in the middle of the woods, students can be stuck with them for the rest of their lives.

Nalgene bottles also give students a chance to get creative with their drinking habits. Some fill their water bottles with iced tea mixes before heading to class. Others, like Dave Sivak '00, carry their Nalgenes to the dining hall to fill with various fruit juices. As Sivak observes, "People usually ask for a sip--people I don't even know. I usually share with them--it's sort of a communal thing. They share their snacks too, so it's kind of like a fun party in class." Sivak says he would never spend money on pre-bottled water now, noting that "other people don't realize that you can enjoy your drink of choice all day with a little planning."

But what about those who don't plan ahead? When working out or studying, many men choose Gatorade or Powerade to refuel their systems, while women reach for the ever-popular Poland Spring water. Maybe it's the convenient individually-sized bottles, but Edith Y. Chan '98 believes that "they advertise a lot, so I feel they're trustworthy. They're also less expensive than other brands."

Students shun the pricey drink of choice of most yuppies: Evian. "Drinking Evian means that you know you're being health conscious, and you want other people to know it too," says Tene A. Cage '01.

However, there are ways to offset the cost of bottled water. "It's much cheaper to just buy one bottle, and then keep refilling it," asserts Jackson. She refills her brand-name bottle with Cambridge water, even though it isn't as pure as the original product.

On the other hand, there are some students who absolutely cannot stomach the taste of the Cambridge water supply, and are willing to pay through the nose to avoid it. Cage buys Poland Spring because "I have a stigma about water fountains and where water comes from." However, Cage was unable to explain the presence of a large bear in the commercials for her drink of choice. She notes, "I've never seen that commercial, and if I did I probably wouldn't drink Poland Spring."

But there are other ways (not involving bears) to make a water bottle off-limits to bottle connoisseurs. Cage's pet peeve? "Peeling off the labels on water bottles and putting them inside the bottle." Jackson feels that "those purse-like pouches for water bottles are pretentious as hell." Covering one's Nalgene with cute stickers is okay up to a point, but remember that the bottle lasts forever but the Spice. Girls' popularity won't. Otherwise, choose a bottle carefully and let it speak for itself. You might even want to put some water in it.